Network Mechanism, Network Arrangement And Method For Operating A Network Arrangement

1. A network mechanism for a communication network, comprising: a first control mechanism, a second control mechanism, a first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism and a second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism, wherein the first physical port and the second physical port are configured to receive data from a transmission medium and to send data, and wherein both: transmitted data from the first control mechanism are coupled by a first internal transmit connector of the first control mechanism via the first physical port into the transmission medium and received data arriving at the second physical port are routed to a first internal receive connector of the first control mechanism so that data received at the second physical port is not routed to the second control mechanism, and received data arriving at the first physical port are routed to a second internal receive connector of the second control mechanism and transmitted data from the second control mechanism are coupled by a second internal transmit connector of the second control mechanism via the second physical port into the transmission medium so that data received at the first physical port is not routed to the first control mechanism.

2. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a respective physical port comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external receive connector of the first physical port is connected directly to the internal receive connector of the second control mechanism.

3. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a respective physical port comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external receive connector of the second physical port is connected directly to the internal receive connector of the first control mechanism.

4. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a respective physical port comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external transmit connector of the first physical port is connected directly to the internal transmit connector of the second control mechanism.

5. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a respective physical port comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external transmit connector of the second physical port is connected directly to the internal transmit connector of the first control mechanism.

6. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second physical ports comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external receive connector of the first physical port is coupled to an internal receive connector of a switch port of the second switch mechanism.

7. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second physical ports comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external receive connector of the second physical port is coupled to an internal receive connector of a switch port of the first switch mechanism.

8. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second physical ports comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external transmit connector of the first physical port is coupled to an internal transmit connector of a switch port of the second switch mechanism.

9. The network mechanism of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second physical ports comprises an external transmit connector and an external receive connector, wherein the external transmit connector of the second physical port is coupled to an internal transmit connector of a switch port of the first switch mechanism.

10. The network mechanism of claim 5 , wherein at least one internal transmit connector of a switch port of a switch mechanism is coupled to a receive connector of a switch port of the same switch mechanism.

11. The network mechanism of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second switch mechanisms is configured such that data received at an internal receive connector of the switch port are sent to the internal transmit connector of the same switch port.

12. The network mechanism of claim 5 wherein the switch port coupling the first and second switch mechanisms to each other has a reduced bandwidth as compared with respective bandwidths of the first and second physical ports.

13. The network mechanism of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second switch mechanisms is configured to route data received by the control mechanism communicatively coupled to the switch port at an internal receive connector of the switch port to an internal transmit connector of a switch port of the at least one switch mechanism, which is connected to an internal receive connector of a switch port of the other switch mechanism or an internal receive connector of the other control mechanism.

14. The network mechanism of claim 13 , wherein the internal receive connector and the internal transmit connector of the at least one switch mechanism belong to the same switch port of the at least one switch mechanism.

15. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second control mechanisms comprises a further internal transmit connector and an internal receive connector, wherein the control mechanisms are directly communicatively connected to each other.

16. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the first control mechanism is configured to generate first data and the second control mechanism is configured to generate second data, wherein the first data and the second data are linked to each other by a prespecified coding.

17. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the first control mechanism, the first switch mechanism, and the first physical port form a first individual integrated circuit or module, and wherein the second control mechanism, the second switch mechanism, and the second physical port form a second individual integrated circuit or module.

18. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the external transmit connector and the external receive connector is configured to attach at least one twisted-pair cable.

19. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the physical port is configured to attach at least one optical waveguide.

20. The network mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the network mechanism is configured for use in an Ethernet protocol environment according to the IEEE 802.3 Standard in a switched network.

21. A network arrangement comprising: a plurality of network mechanisms including a first network mechanism and a second network mechanism communicating through a transmission medium, each network mechanism comprising: a first control mechanism and a first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism, and a second control mechanism and a second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism, wherein both: transmitted data from the first control mechanism are coupled by a first internal transmit connector of the first control mechanism via the first physical port into the transmission medium and received data arriving at the second physical port are routed to a first internal receive connector of the first control mechanism, and received data arriving at the first physical port are routed to a second internal receive connector of the second control mechanism and transmitted data from the second control mechanism are coupled by a second internal transmit connector of the second control mechanism via the second physical port into the transmission medium, wherein the plurality of network mechanisms are connected to define two communication rings that communicate data is opposite directions from each other, with each communication ring routing data through the plurality of network mechanisms, wherein for the first communication ring, which communicates data in a first direction, the first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism in each respective network mechanism is communicatively coupled with the aid of a first transmission medium to the second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism in another one of the plurality of network mechanisms so that data received at the first physical port is not communicated to the first control mechanism, and wherein for the second communication ring, which communicates data in a second direction opposite the first direction, the second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism in each respective network mechanism is communicatively coupled with the aid of a second transmission medium to the first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism in another one of the plurality of network mechanisms mechanism so that data received at the second physical port is not communicated to the second control mechanism.

22. The network arrangement of claim 21 , wherein each of the first and second network mechanisms further comprises: a first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism for sending data, a further first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism for receiving data, a second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism for receiving data, and a further second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism for sending data, and wherein the first physical port of the first network mechanism is coupled to the first further physical port of the second network mechanism and the second further physical port of the second network mechanism is coupled to the second physical port of the first network mechanism.

23. A method for operating a network arrangement comprising a plurality of network mechanisms including a first network mechanism and a second network mechanism, each network mechanism comprising a first control mechanism and a first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism, and a second control mechanism and second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism, wherein the plurality of network mechanisms are connected to define two communication rings that communicate data in opposite directions from each other, with each communication ring routing data through the plurality of network mechanisms, wherein for the first communication ring, which communicates data in a first direction, the first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism in each respective network mechanism is communicatively coupled with the aid of a first transmission medium to the second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism in the second network mechanism so that data received at the first physical port is not communicated to the first control mechanism, and wherein for the second communication ring, which communicates data in a second direction opposite the first direction, the second physical port assigned to the second control mechanism in each respective network mechanism is communicatively coupled with the aid of a second transmission medium to the first physical port assigned to the first control mechanism in the second network mechanism so that data received at the second physical port is not communicated to the second control mechanism, the method comprising: at the first physical port of the first network mechanism, for data communicated via the first communication ring in the first direction, rerouting data received by the transmission medium to the second physical port of the first network mechanism and sent from the second physical port to the transmission medium and subsequently to the first physical port of the second network mechanism, and at the second physical port of the first network mechanism, for data communicated via the second communication ring in the second direction, rerouting data received by the transmission medium to the first physical port of the first network mechanism and sent from the first physical port to the transmission medium and subsequently to the second physical port of the second network mechanism.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising: generating first data by the first control mechanism and generating second data by the second control mechanism, wherein the first data and the second data are linked to each other by a prespecified coding; transmitting the first data from the first control mechanism to the second control mechanism and the transmission of the second data from the second control mechanism to the first control mechanism; sending the first data and the second data via a first communication path from the physical port of the first control mechanism to the physical port of the second control mechanism; and sending the first data and the second data via a second communication path from the physical port of the second control mechanism to the physical port of the first control mechanism; wherein the data of the first and of the second communication paths travel through the same network mechanisms in opposite directions.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising comparing the first data with the second data in at least one of the first and second control mechanisms to determine a comparison result; and rendering the network mechanism passive as a function of the comparison result.

26. A non-transitory computer program product, which initiates the performance of a method as claimed in claim 23 on one or more program-controlled mechanisms.

27. A non-transitory data carrier with a stored computer program with commands, which initiates the performance of a method as claimed in claim 23 on one or more program-controlled mechanisms.